The Nike "Biomorph" Launch Spot for Their Flyknit Running Shoes And How It Was Done.

Nike tapped David Rosenbaum of Mothership to conceive the :51 second short that launched its Flyknit technology and shoe collection. Inspired by the concept of body schema, David developed a story in which the shoe becomes a seamless extension of the runner’s foot through a progression of organic visuals, and took the piece from start to finish.

"Biomorph":


To develop an accurate visual expression for the innovative weaving process director David Rosenbaum met with Nike engineers and watched the shoes being made on customized industrial knitting machines.

The making of "Biomorph":


Credits:
Andy Walker, Nike/Dave Gold (music), Elias Arts, creative directors; Ed Ulbrich, Digital Domain, chief creative officer/Mothership, president; David Rosenbaum, Mothership, director; Paul Cameron, Mothership, director of photography; The Bergeron, Nike/Tiffani Manabat, Mothership/Nicola Wiseman, Digital Domain/William Lemmon, Digital Domain, producers; Jesse Canright, Nike/Tanya Cohen, Mothership/Digital Domain/Ann Haugen (music), Elias Arts, executive producers; Barb Freeman, Nike, production manager; Birthe Lauchengco, Mothership, production supervisor; Scott Gemmell, Mothership/Digital Domain, head of production; Rachel Mariscal, Digital Domain, digital production manager; Colin Woods, Digital Domain, editor; Richard Poulain, Digital Domain, storyboard artist; Brian Creasey, Digital Domain/Casey Benn, Digital Domain/Dave Carlson, Digital Domain/Gideon Vandergrift, Digital Domain, generalists; Kevin Culhane, Digital Domain, animator; Ken Jones, Digital Domain/Eric Ebeling, Digital Domain/


Learn more about the Nike Flyknit collection here

Kenzo and Vans Present Their First Collaboration. A Peek At The Sneaks.

Kenzo and Vans have collaborated for the first time: from May to July, three capsule collections of Vans shoes will be available. First up is the Era skate shoe, revisited by Kenzo’s designers in seven different colours, and available mid-May in both men's and women's models, with prices starting at €90 ($119).




“We grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles and we’ve been fans of Vans since we were very young: we have so many pairs of their shoes that it would be impossible to count them”, explained Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, Artistic Directors of Kenzo since July 2011 and also founders of the American label Opening Ceremony.




The three collections will be on sale in Kenzo’s boutiques, on Vans’s website and at a selection of retailers such as Colette, Harvey Nichols, Bosco Milan and Lane Crawford.

Kenzo
Vans

Marimekko X Converse - 13 Styles And Many Are On Sale!

Original Marimekko patterns from the 1960s created by the well-known Finnish textile mill are applied to some Converse favorites in this special collection. The signature prints are paired with such classic Converse styles as Jack Purcells and All Star Hi and low tops.



Right now, about half the Marimekko Converse kicks are on sale. Here's a look at the 13 shoes in the collection:













Each pair of the 13 different styles comes with a matching cinch bag made in the Marimekko pattern, like those shown below:




Just Reduced Merchandise at Converse + Free Shipping on orders of $75 or more


click on the above logo to start shopping.

Shoes Inspired by Clerks, QuickStop and 37: Kevin Smith Designs A Kicks Collection For Etnies.

above: three new pairs of kicks inspired by Kevin Smith's Clerks for Etnies; Clerks, Quick Stop and 37.

The action apparel and footwear company Etnies revealed some very fun new Kevin Smith -inspired sneakers at the 2010 Comic Con show.



Kevin Smith, the writer, director and star of the 1994 cult flick Clerks -and the guy who was 'too fat' to fly in recent news- teamed up with skater and surfer brand Etnies for three new fun pairs of kicks inspired by his hit movie.

Jay & Silent Bob Got Sole.

above: a still from Clerks featuring Jason Mewes (Silent Bob) and Kevin Smith (Jay)

above: Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes strike a pose as their characters Jay and Silent Bob, at Comic Con

One of the pairs of shoes feature Kevin Smith and co-star Jason Mewes on the soles and the movie's logotype on the shoes.




The other two Kevin Smith-inspired pairs also refer to the film Clerks. The yellow say "Quick Stop Groceries" on the heel, a reference to the convenience store in the movie.



The red pair has the number "37" on it referencing this funny and memorable scene from the movie:


The Quik Stop kicks and the 37 kicks:
 
Presented as an enticing giveway at Comic Con, the shoes will be produced and available for sale at Etnies soon (date not yet announced.)
 

In addition to the sneakers, tee-shirts with Kevin's own photo poking good-natured fun at himself, accompanied by the phrase "Too Phat To Fly" in white and heather grey will also be available.  
 

all images courtesy of Etnies, their blog, their flickr photos and their facebook page.

  Haven't seen the movie? try it on Netflix now!

 

Jenny Holzer Keds for The Whitney IS WHAT I WANT

Artist Jenny Holzer, best known for her projections, LED installations and truisms -- artwork made with words, is collaborating with Keds for the Whitney Museum to launch a special collection that features her famous phrase "PROTECT ME FROM WHAT I WANT" which has previously appeared on everything from golf balls, a BMW v12 race car, condoms, on wooden postcards and installed on buildings and more as art projects.







The KEDS, which feature the phrase, will be available in both high and low tops, canvas and leather and in black or white:





above: artist Jenny Holzer, courtesy of artnet
"It's great that Keds and the Whitney are friends," states Jenny Holzer. "I have a renewed respect for shoe designers."

The collection, which is expected to retail for approximately $70-$75 a pair, will be available at select Bloomingdale's stores nationwide beginning in July, as well as on bloomingdales.com and keds.com starting in July 2010.

All Keds’ profits from the Jenny Holzer kicks will benefit the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Special Keds collections by painters Laura Owens and Sarah Crowner, all of whom have exhibited at The Whitney, will follow.

Special thanks to Alex Asher Sears for bringing this to my attention.